During my research into the origin of the Eisner and Harvey Awards last month, I paid close attention to what was nominated 10 years ago (1997) and asked myself what is still talked about from this nomination period, and why were some things even nominated? Looking back at the 1997 list I noticed some classics, some swan songs and one time darlings of the independent circuit. The question remains though, how much do the Eisner’s (and other awards) matter a ten, five or even a year down the line. There is little doubt about how much I love my comics, but for the life of me I can’t tell you won last year. In the same line of thought, I can tell you who won the Oscar for best picture last year with out any problems— and I hardly watch movies.

So what purpose do these comic awards serve? Are these awards simply a pat on the back, or a true marker of excellence that causes us to look back and say “Check this out, it was best short story in 97”. Pardon the pun, but I think the shelf life of the importance of nomination and winning is relatively small. I admit there has been some great strides made in trying to make the awards mean more— most notably printing a banner on winning books. Again though, this only speaks to people who know what the Eisner is and what it means. How can we make these awards mean more, or become a symbol of comic cannon?

What follows is a partial list of nominees and winners. Those who won are in bold. For a full list of nominees and winners please look at this site The complete list of winners is at the end of this article.

Both Heroes and Oracle-Year One share a common thread, they are (I believe to be) last works. Archie Goodwin well loved editor and writer would die suddenly in 1998, and Kim Yale, wife of John Ostrander would lose her battle with breast cancer. If memory serves, this story was published after her death. Both Ostrander and Yale helped create and flush out Oracle in the pages of the often talked about Suicide Squad.

While hardly talked about anymore, when Astro City came out it turned a lot of heads. It was a big cause of celebration that the second volume (and 1st regular series) of Astro City started. Astro City deservedly won the awards it was nominated for in 1997. It’s a shame that no one really talks about this book anymore with the same anxious breath.

Starman is the series that made me love DC continuity, and the only book to spin out of Zero Hour to go more then 12 issues. This series featured gorgeous covers by Tony Harris, his pencils, while not as smooth as they are in Ex Machina are still very strong. While the seres lost its direction for awhile after the death of Archie Goodwin, when the series was on, it was ON. Not only did it tell good super-hero stories, it also managed to flush out the a rich history of Starmen past, present and future, and tie itself into many long forgotten aspects of the DCU. For fans of the JSA this particular story arc is especially important as it features one of the last adventures of the original golden age Sandman. I’ll do a more indepth look at the Jack Knight Starman series one day.

Its also interesting to note the nomination of a Disney book. I’m not to sure if Disney book’s were getting more focus due to Rosa, and the popularity for cartoon style art/stories that Bone had created in the industry during this period.

Once again we see Astro city nominated (and winning) an award. Also notable nominees from this year are Starman, and Kane. Kane, the non-linear story of Officer Kane and his role on the New Eden police force is an excellent read. Paul Grist stopped publishing the book monthly and instead (is supposedly) focusing on continuing the series as a line of OGN’s once he finishes collecting all the original single issues through Image. Grist makes strong use of negative space and, while his style is relatively simple, it is this sense of space and use of the negative that really makes his art pop. There is two major storylines woven through the series, that of Kane in the now, and that of the events surround the death of his partner in the past. These flashback stories are placed seamlessly into the the issues, and while sometimes jarring remain engaging. Usually the only way you can tell is the flashback is by the physical appearance of Kane. Grist would also be nominated for best writer/artist this year.

If anything should be noted about 1997, was this it was a strong year for limited series. Kingdom Come, The System, Death: TTOYL and the original Batman Black & White Anthology are all strong stories that continue to sell well and are enjoyable today.

Where are these series and talent today? Tying into my soap box from earlier, this is perhaps the best example of why the Eisner don’t mean that much outside of the professional community. The community is small, and both the Best New Series and Talent of Wider Recognition nominees (and winners) are virtually unheard of ten years after their nomination. These categories are to me, probably the most important ones in the Eisner’s, as it showcases breakout work. Yet, based on the history of 1997. We have these awards that in theory should allow us to create a better star system, but instead has sadly, fallen by the wayside. I suspect the only way that the majority of stars are made in comic books today are the ones who get pushed in the pages of Wizard, which leads into another topic, the problems with only having one big name ‘magazine’ reporting on the industry.

Despite all of this, I look forward to the nominations each year, and wonder if I read what will eventually win.

Martin Scherer enjoys reading, thinking and talking comics. When he is not doing this, he is lonley and hopes for people to mail questions, comments and suggestions for future articles. He is tame and housebroken. Contact him via email, martin@geekscape.net